AN ECCLES pub regular's pot luck ran out when he put himself in a snooker by getting his arm jammed in a pool table.

Ali Cassim, from Eccles, managed to get his arm stuck as he tried to retrieve the cue ball from the return hole at the table in the Royal Oak pub on Corporation Street.

Regulars thought he was joking when he claimed to be stuck during the final frame of the night, but it was no laughing matter for Ali as the fire brigade were eventually called to set him free.

The 49-year-old said: "At first my mates thought I was joking, because I am a bit of a prankster, but my arm was well and truly wedged up there!"

When pals realised he was jammed they tried to pull him out with no success, so they called the fire brigade and started to take pictures of Ali with the eight ball in his mouth. Landlord Kevin Williams said: "At first I told him to stop messing about, but I knew he wasn't when he started to wince with pain."

Fire officers from Eccles were called and had to dismantle the table to get him out. Sub officer Daniel Marshall said: "This was certainly the most unusual incident I've ever been called to. It was a late night pool session when the man was trying to retrieve the white ball from the end of the table and got his arm stuck.

"The lads in the pub tried free him for about 30 minutes and we were called at about midnight. It took us about 15 minutes to get him out. We had to dismantle the table and remove the slate to free his arm. I don't think the landlord was best pleased with the end result!"